A Little Too Sweet
by Little Illy
Summary: There’s not a lot that can frightened hardened bounty hunter Steph Plum. Maybe spiders, and her sister’s kids, psycho rapists, guns, salad—ok, so a lot of things can frighten her. But a sick hamster has got to be pretty high up on the list. [Cupcake]


**A Little Too Sweet**

A/N: My first try at a JE fanfic… I wrote this mostly because I was frustrated at the lack of decent cup-cake fics out there (heck, at the lack of them point blank!)

Any comments, especially ways I can improve, are greatly appreciated. Please review. It's only fair.

Set a little before Twelve Sharp, but written with a few of the developments of TS in mind.

* * *

Early spring in Trenton was a drizzly time of year. It had been overcast and grey for going on a week now. The sidewalks were littered with dirty puddles. The grass of front lawns was mushy underneath. Traffic was slow in the morning, for invariably there would be a skid related crash. I had already ruined two nice pairs of suede shoes this week, and I wasn't keen to take my good leather boots out in the rain, so I had opted for my runners. Stephanie Plum—-badass bounty hunter in old smelly sneakers.

On the upside, it seemed my skips didn't like getting wet much either, so they were easy to locate. The small time shoplifters and wife beaters that I usually recaptured could be found hiding out in their homes, drunk and depressed. They didn't want to try and make a run for it in the rain, so most went quietly.

It had been a pretty productive week for me. I'd recaptured more then my fair share of FTA's this week, and I hadn't even gone on a spending spree to reward myself. I was due for a break.

It was only five thirty, but the heavy black clouds made it feel a lot later. I considered calling it a day. There wasn't much more I could do, short of heading back to the bonds office and picking up a new case. Conni and Lula probably had the same idea as me, I reasoned. They wouldn't want to have to stay back at work just for me. It would be downright rude of me to expect that. Besides a new Krispy Kreme store had opened on Gratwick Street last Monday. I still hadn't had time to check out their range. I drove the few blocks to Gratwick, picked up a box of mixed glaze, and headed for home.

Mrs Bestler rode the elevator with me on the way up. "That's a lot of doughnuts" she said, eyeing my dozen Krispy Kremes. "Are they all for you?" I nodded happily. "That much pastry, and your hot cop boyfriend might start telling you to watch your weight."

"I'll burn it off," I said indignantly.

Mrs Bestler just giggled and smiled as I exited the elevator. _She's getting _dementia, I rationalised_, she wouldn't really say that and mean it. And besides, I won't eat them all tonight_. I knew I was lying to myself, but it still made me feel better.

I dropped my keys and purse on the sideboard, and called to my hamster Rex "Honey, I'm home". I couldn't see him running on his wheel, but his stumpy hamster tail was poking out of the old soup-can he used as a home. I went over to his fish tank and smiled at his little hamster behind, "Fine, don't say hello." Rex and I had a deep understanding that only grew over time. He was the one man in my life that wanted nothing more from me then a few scraps of pizza crust and a full water bottle. I loved him for that.

I saw the light on my answering machine flashing. The first message was my mother. "Stephanie, your cell phone is off," said her recording. I pulled my cell phone out of my pants, and sure enough, the battery was dead. "Why? What's wrong? Oh God, if you're involved with any more cross dressing murderers--" my mother paused, and sucked in several sharp breaths. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you could take your grandmother down to the salon for me on Thursday. I'm going over to see Valerie, and your father says he'd rather buy German than get in a car with her."

The second message was from Ranger, "Babe. Call me." Very helpful. I tried to stop my insides from going all mushy and getting excited. It was probably business related, no reason to get antsy.

The last message was from Morelli, my boyfriend. "I'm working late. I'll drop round if I'm off before ten." Joe Morelli was one of two men in my life, and, somewhat surprisingly, he was the more stable. He'd had a reckless youth (some of which had involved me), but after stint in the navy and a decade as one of Trenton's finest, he was about ready to hang up his bad boy boots and settle down. I was about eighty percent sure I wanted to settle down with Morelli. There were just a few commitment issues standing in the way, one of which was Ranger.

My feelings for Ranger definitely complicated things. And he didn't help matters by trying to lure me into bed with him again. I knew in my head Ranger wasn't the boyfriend type. He was the one night stand type. He cared about me, but he wasn't the type to come to my parents house every Friday for pot roast. I knew I couldn't settle down with Ranger; I knew Morelli would be safer long term. I knew these things in my head, but in practice there was still a lot of sexual tension between Ranger and me that was hard to ignore.

I decided a shower could wait until after dinner, so I kicked off my shoes and let my messy hair out from under my cap. I flipped open my box of Krispy Kremes, deciding what to have for dinner. The chocolate glaze was tempting, and there was a few with sprinkles that caught my eye- but in the end, I was seduced by the sticky call of original sugar glaze. I took a bite, letting the sugar soak into my tongue. The way this tasted, I was about ready to forget Morelli and Ranger and marry the doughnut.

There was a disturbing lack of sports on television. It was soccer season, so most of the good stations were polluted with what my father affectionately called "European Junk". _American's Most Wanted_ was on, but I was frightened I'd see some ghostly psycho from my past, so I settled for _Current Affairs_. There was breaking news about the connection between sneakers and ADHD in kids, and some sad story about an old grandmother who had her grandson kidnapped by the heroin addicted father. By the time they'd got to the third article, about getting the best results with a no-name washing powder, I was starting to remember why I didn't usually watch this show.

I went to the counter for another donut, and selected a pink one with sprinkles. I pulled off a little chunk for Rex, and dropped it in his cage. His little hamster body stayed stuffed in his soup-can. A cold chill crept down my spine. Usually Rex would have dashed towards the smell of sugar and pastry in his cage. "Rex, donut." I said. Still nothing. My heart began to beat faster in my chest, and I could feel my breaths getting sharper. _Calm down Steph_, I told myself, _he's probably just asleep_.

The thing was, Rex meant a lot to me. He was pretty much my only companion at home. When all the rest of my life was going insane with murderers and crazy relatives, Rex was always there in his fish-tank, running in circles on his wheel. He'd been through so much with me, I couldn't bare to lose him now.

I extended a shaking hand into the fish-tank. Rex lay very still for a hamster. Usually he would shake and twitch even when he was asleep, but he didn't move at all. I tapped his soup-can lightly with my finger, calling "Rex." Still nothing. Tears were forming at the edge of my eyes. "Rex, wake up." I carefully picked up the soup-can, and tipped Rex onto my hand. He felt soft and small in my palm. His little body was still warm, but I couldn't feel any other signs of life. Gingerly, with shaking fingers, I turned him on his back. I didn't know how to check for a hamster pulse, so I put his little chest up to my ear and listened for the sound of breathing. After a few seconds, I thought I heard a strange gurgle.

I let out a strangled cry of panic, and clutched Rex to my chest. "Rex, please wake up," I begged. His little hamster head lolled backwards, and I thought I saw his tongue slip out next to his teeth. "Rex!" His ear twitched, and one little black eye opened slightly. He was still alive!

As carefully as I could, I put him down on the counter, and dived for the phone. If I was a responsible pet owner, the name of the vet would have been plastered to the fridge door, with a reminded for when Rex was next due for a check up. I'd never taken Rex to a vet in his life. I dialled the first number that I could think of, Morelli picked up on the second ring.

"Steph?" He said, "did you get my message?"

I opened my mouth, but words failed me. All I could manage was a sort of squeak.

"Steph?" I head alarm creep into his voice. I wanted to tell him everything was alright, but I couldn't. Rex was laying half dead on my counter. Everything was not alright. "Stephanie, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Joe," I chocked. "I…Rex… he's not moving."

He sighed in relief. "You're not hurt though. You're ok."

"No, I'm not." I sniffed, a tear rolling down my cheek. "Rex is dying. I don't know what to do. I just came home and he was… he didn't come out of his can and…I'm really not ok."

"Shh, its alright," Morelli said soothingly. "He's probably just sleepy."

"He's not sleepy," I cried. "There's something wrong with him. I think he's gonna die. I don't want him to die!"

"Ok, ok," Morelli said. "Don't worry, I'll be right over."

"What do I do about…" I began.

"Nothing," he said. "Don't move him yet. Just stay where you are."

I stood watching over Rex while I waited for Morelli. He looked so small and helpless, lying still on my kitchen counter. He twitched once, and I felt my heart jump into my mouth. I didn't want to see Rex die. Not now, not ever. I loved him. Day to day, he didn't seem like a huge part of my life. But he was always there. He was a constant reassuring presence.

It seemed like an hour had passed while I waited for Morelli, watching my dying hamster lie immobile on the counter. It was actually only five minutes before he arrived. He put an arm around me, as I fought to hold back a sob. "I don't know what's wrong." I said, "I just came home and found him like this."

Morelli kissed me on the head, folding his arms around me, "It's alright, Steph." He let me go, and looked down at Rex. He leant over, to peer into Rex's little hamster eyes. "Well, he's still breathing." Morelli extended a finger, and poked Rex in the side.

"Don't!" I cried.

"It's alright." He looked up and saw my pained expression and the tear lines on my cheeks. "Oh Steph." he hugged me again. "Rex is going to be fine. Get a box, and we'll take him to the vet."

I rummaged around in the kitchen, coming up with a cardboard box that had contained garlic bread from Pino's. Morelli put a few tissues in the bottom, and carefully lifted Rex into the box. He ushered me out into the hall, and locked up behind us.

When we got down to the parking lot, Morelli pointed his keys at a grey Audi Sedan. The blinkers flashed, and I heard the doors unlock. I looked questioningly at Morelli. "Work car," he said. "I was overseeing a crime scene when you called."

I nodded mutely and hopped in the front seat. Morelli got in the driver's side, and we drove out of the lot.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The Vet's on Pine Street will be shut by now, it's almost six. But there's a 24 hour Vet out just past the turnpike."

I looked over at Morelli, slightly surprised.

"I took Bob there once," he explained. "The time he started foaming at the mouth after he ate that poisoned rat."

We drove in silence. I didn't know what to say, and neither did Morelli. He didn't really understand the relationship between Rex and I, not many people did, but he knew that my hamster meant a lot to me. Morelli had been there when I had come home to find a psycho had locked a cat inside Rex's cage. I had broken down into hysterics, while Morelli had tried in vain to calm me down.

It began to rain heavily. The water gushed down in sheets, splattering against the windshield. Morelli put on the windscreen-whipers, peering out past the rain into the black evening.

I looked down at Rex. He was still lying on his side, where Morelli had put him. I gently stroked his stomach, and his ear twitched again. "It'll be ok," I whispered to him. "You're in safe hands." I was starting to calm down a little, the initial shock wearing off. My heart was still hammering away in my throat, but I didn't feel like I was going to cry anymore. Morelli's sensible actions were calming me down. Rex was definitely in safe hands.

I looked over at Morelli, remembering what he had said earlier about the car. "Were you really out at a crime scene?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, "another gang killing. Looks like it could be tied into the Louie Morrison business. Not pretty stuff."

I had that realisation again, that there was a whole other part of Morelli's life as a cop, that he hardly ever shared. I was always bringing my work home with me, but I knew Morelli worked hard not to involve me in the gang murders he had to deal with every day. "Is it ok that you left?"

A smile crept across Morelli's face. He was either hiding a laugh, or a grimace. "Cupcake, they're used to it."

Morelli took a left of the Turnpike, into side streets I wasn't too familiar with. He seemed to know where he was going though. Sure enough, we turned down another street and I saw a "24-7 VET" sign flashing through the rain. We pulled into the lot, and Morelli got out. It was still raining heavily. Rex was curled up in the Garlic Bread box, but it didn't have a lid. My door opened. Morelli had taken off his bomber jacket, and was holding it out "Here," he said, "cover the box."

We hustled into the vet's waiting room. It was all white tiles and white walls. There were several shelves filled with pet paraphernalia- healthy cat chews, heart worm tablets, rabbit harnesses. On the wall opposite me there was a big poser of a disgusting brown pointy tooth with the slogan "Dogs need tooth brushes too! CanidentTM"

Morelli went up to the counter, and spoke to the receptionist. She took out a white form, which he began to fill out. He passed it back, and she began typing things into her computer.

"She says to go in through the blue door." Morelli said. "Are you ok?"

I wasn't ok. The fear in my heart was swelling up again. Rex was four years old. Hamsters only had a life expectancy of five. I felt Joe's hand on my head "The vet will know what to do," he said.

I looked up at him, "What if…" I couldn't finish. I had been keeping my feelings under control with the knowledge that Rex was still alive. But when if the Vet said he wouldn't get better. What if he had to be put down?

Morelli sat down beside me, and put an arm around my shoulder. He didn't say anything. I could feel him looking at me, as I stared down at my sick hamster. "Thankyou." I said.

He kissed my hair. "Come on."

The vet through the blue door looked to be in his late forties. His hair was black going grey, and he had a few wrinkles in his tired friendly face. A nametag said his name was Sam.

He looked appropriately sombre as Morelli and I entered the room. "Dear, dear" he said, "what have we got here?"

I mutely held the garlic bread box out, feeling like a frightened child. "It's a hamster" Morelli said.

"Rex," I added with a squeak.

"Hmm, it looks like a sick hamster," Sam the vet said. "Put him down here, and we'll take a look."

"I found him like this when I got home" I said. A few tears trickled down my cheek. "He wouldn't move. I thought he…he was…"

Sam nodded sympathetically, and began inspecting Rex. He felt his chest, and under his neck. He pulled Rex's mouth open, and Rex's tongue lolled out again.

I grabbed the side of Morelli's shirt, and he moved closer to me. He pulled me into him, whispering into my hair "it's alright."

Sam pressed a stethoscope the size of Rex's head against his little hamster belly. "This doesn't sound too good." He muttered.

I bit my lip, "is… is he doing to…"

Sam clucked his tongue. "This is your hamster, miss?" I nodded. "What do you feed him?"

"Pizza crusts," I said, "broccoli, cake crumbs, olives, bit of doughnut…"

I saw the corner's of Sam's mouth twitch, like he was hiding a smile. "Not a hamster grain mix?" I shook my head. "I see." He felt Rex's stomach again with two fingers. "See, a hamster is a lot like a human. They love sugar, but what they really need is good green vegetables. Too much sugar, and not enough vitamins and roughage is bound to make your little hamster feel very seedy."

"He's… he's had too much junkfood?" I asked in disbelief.

"Exactly." Sam smiled. "From now on, less pizza and pastry, and more hamster pellets. My receptionist has some free samples of a very good brand that I highly recommend."

I picked up Rex, feeling his little bloated stomach. "But, what about now? He's all… sick."

Sam smiled, and handed me a vial of small brown pills. "A little bit of rodent laxative should fix him right up."

Morelli laughed. I gave him a death glare, and he bit his lip. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Oh be quiet," I said, feeling very, _very_ relieved.

Rex was still looking terrible when we put him back in his fish tank. Sam had shown me how to force the little brown tablet's into Rex's mouth. He would have one tonight, and one tomorrow morning. Sam said that should do the trick, but I had a few extra pills just in case.

I poured a handful of the hamster grain mix into Rex's bowl, and smiled hopefully at him. He opened one eye, and glared at me. "I'm sorry," I said. "I really am Rex. From now on, we'll both cut down on the sweets."

"Does that mean I can eat the rest of these doughnuts?" asked Morelli.

I snatched a sugar glazed Krispy Kreme off him, and took a possessive bite of it. "I was trying to make Rex feel better," I said. "The doughnuts are still mine."

Morelli curled one hand around my back, and slid the other under my chin. He kissed my mouth, softly and slowly, and licked his lips. "Mmmm," he purred, "Sugar glaze."

I could feel myself melting in his arms. He knew it too.

"You know, I had to lie to my team," He said. "I told them you'd been in a car accident." He kissed my ear, and his hot breath sent shivers to my…toes. "I think you owe me."

"How about a Krispy Kreme?" I asked. "You can have anyone you like."

Morelli had worked his hand up by back, under my shirt. I felt the clasp of my bra release, and Morelli smiled a silky, triumphant smile. "Well, maybe afterwards," he said.

I woke up to the familiar sound of Morelli breathing. When he was asleep, he took long deep breaths in, and let them out slowly. Sometimes, I thought he sounded a lot like Bob. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, or maybe they had started absorbing some of each other over time. It was an oddly comforting sound, which reminded me of the feeling of safety that only comes with a cop or a gigantic dog.

I usually didn't wake up before Morelli. At his house, he was always awake before six, and out of the house before I got up. The anxious knot in my stomach had woken me up, and I realised it would keep me awake until I went to check on Rex. I fished a cardigan and knickers off the floor and pulled them on haphazardly in the darkness. I shuffled out of the bedroom, and turned on the light.

Rex was still looking lethargic and sad, but his eyes were open, and he was moving around a bit. I wandered over to the fish-tank to watch him. He licked his paws, and cleaned his nose with them, then plodded over to his water bottle to take a drink. In the silence of my lounge room, I thought I heard a little hamster burp escape from his mouth, but I couldn't be sure. I stayed watching him, happy to be with him in silence.

I heard Morelli groan from the bedroom, and a minute later, he appeared at the bedroom door. He looked tousled and drowsy. "'chu doing?"

"Watching Rex."

Morelli disappeared, and I head the sound of bedcovers being moved. He reappeared at the door with the blanket draped around him. He plodded over to me, and wrapped me in the blanket. Then he went to my couch, and pushed it sideways slightly so it was facing Rex's fish-tank. Morelli sat down and motioned for me to join him. We curled up together under the covers, watching Rex as he slowly moved around.

"Joe," I said after a while.

"Hmm?"

"When Bob ate that rat, and he was foaming at the mouth…were you scared?" I asked.

"Christ, of course I was." He said. "I thought he had rabies, or worse." Morelli let out a sigh, "I didn't know what to do to fix him. I thought he was going to die." He moved his arm further round my waist, pulling me closer. "You don't really know how much something means to you, until you're faced with losing it forever."

I was slightly taken aback by his confession. Morelli and Bob has one of those special relationships only shared between a man and his dog (or a woman and her hamster), but I hadn't considered how much this meant to Morelli before. "You seemed really calm," I said, "you just kind of took charge, and knew what to do. I completely broke down when Rex wouldn't move."

"I can't do that, or I'd stop functioning everyday you went to work." He kissed my hair softly. "Your life makes me want to breakdown."

I slipped my hand into his, and let my head fall onto his shoulder.. He smiled, and gave my hand a squeeze. From this angel, I regarded Rex sideways, as he plodded around in his fish-tank. "Do you think he looks a bit more lively?"

Morelli's shoulder shook beneath my ear, as he laughed. "A little, Cupcake."


End file.
